Halloween Content War
by ThreeBlackCats
Summary: A bunch of short things written with the prompts for the Batfam Halloween content war
1. Autumn

**Day one prompt: Autumn**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Batman or any related comics or** **characters**

All the Gotham rouges had certain yearly patterns.

Calendarman was the most obvious with activity around every major holiday (and several minor ones). Poison Ivy was most active during the spring and summer when plants were growing abundantly. Scarecrow generally preferred the fall and this seemed to only partially be because of Halloween. The Penguin's biggest operations often happened in winter.

The Bats had gotten to know all the patterns over the years and while they were sometimes interrupted by sudden events and Arkham incarceration they mostly kept to it. All this information had been put in the Batcomputer's database to generate predictions for rouge activity in the coming year.

As Bruce looked over the last year's prediction he noticed that it had been the most accurate yet. This wasn't much of a surprise, every year since he had created the prediction generator three years ago it had been getting more accurate.

But it got Bruce thinking; how many more years would the program have to grow more accurate? How many more years would he be running around across the city putting out fires and attempting to stem the never ending tide of crime. He had always known that trying to stop crime in Gotham would be a lifelong task but to his younger self it had seemed worth it. Worth it if he was going to save even a few people because they may be a few but it would mean everything to them. (It would have meant everything to him)

But time went on and while he had saved so many people but a part of him wondered if it was still worth it if he couldn't save them all. He'd close his eyes and see the faces of the ones he had failed. He was still willing to dedicate the rest of his life to trying though. Trying and remembering that to them it meant everything.

But he wasn't the only one fighting this battle year after year anymore was he. There was Dick. Then there was Barbara. Jason. Tim and Cass and Steph. Damian. He had half expected Dick to retire Robin as he got older and no longer needed it, but while he had left that costume it was only to move on into another and someone else filled the old costume in his place. So year after year they'd all fight, sometimes new faces would be added some would be gone but never gone by choice, and they'd fight the same damn villains over and over again because the same faces kept popping up like a twisted whack-a-mole game.

Somewhere out there, Bruce was sure, whomever was writing their story was laughing at them. Watching as they fought again and again, year after year. Same villain, new plot somehow more nefarious than last time. Some sort of entrainment for those who didn't have to live in the frightful story.

Or maybe there was nobody out there pulling the strings and this world of crime and death was entirely of their own making. For every villain Batman fought another would take it as a signal to rise. Another monster for himself and the children to fight.

And there would always be the ones who hung around year after year. The ones who were so persistent that they never could be put down for long and one could make a computer algorithm to predict their activity. The ones who would get back up as often as he did. He'd probably never be free of them.

Neither would the others, at this point.

He still believed it was worth it to continue to stand against the never ending cycle for as long as he could to save as many as he could, but was it worth it for his children?


	2. Celebration

**Day 2 Prompt: Celebration**

 **The story of what Dick is up to during this will come later this week**

Tim surveyed the collection of bottles and cans on the table. There seemed to be every kind of alcoholic drink available in Gotham. There were multiple kinds of vodka, rum, wine, beer, whiskey and various others. He hesitantly pointed to the collection. "Is all this really necessary?"

"Yes!" Stephanie yelled from the living room where she and Damian playing something on Jason's large television. "It's your official welcome into the society of dead and fake dead Robins so- Dammit! No!"

"Language, Brown."

A hand came down on Tim's shoulder causing him to jump. He spun around to see Jason leaning over him. "Come on Timmy! It's not a proper wake without someone getting drunk and telling all their stories about the deceased!"

"And whose wake is it?"

Jason shrugged. "Yours probably, as the most recent death. But really it could be any of ours."

"Next time we need to invite Cass!" Tim turned around to see Stephanie had abandoned her game with Damian to come into the kitchen.

"Oh no," Jason groaned. "Absolutely not. If we start making exceptions for her, we'll start making exceptions for other people and I refuse to let Bruce into my apartment."

"I never said anything about Bruce. Hey, Tim! Do you know when Dick's getting back with the pizza?"

Tim shrugged. "He said he's still waiting for it to be ready. They're probably busy." He turned back to the collection of alcohol which he could swear was bigger than when he first looked at it. "Isn't Dick the only one of us old enough to drink?"

Jason grabbed one of the bottles. Whiskey according to the label. "There are no drinking laws regarding legally dead people. Besides, in Germany the drinking age is 16 and that seems perfectly reasonable to me."

"So we're just going to pretend we're in Germany?"

Jason shrugged and swallowed a mouthful of whiskey.

"Honestly, Todd," Damian grumbled. He had apparently followed Stephanie into the kitchen but Time hadn't noticed. Probably because he was so short it made him easy to overlook. Heh. "Alcohol kills brain cells and you cannot afford to lose too many."

Jason stuck one figure in the air in response. Damian walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out an apple juice pouch. Tim figured Jason probably wouldn't respond well is anyone asking him why he had stocked up on juice pouches so he didn't.

Stephanie was looking through the bottles, occasionally pausing and reading the labels. "I don't want to go overboard but it would be a shame to let all this go to waste."

Well if everyone else was going for it…Tim grabbed a bottle of red wine and began going through the cupboards to find a glass. Bruce had let him have some at a gala before and Tim didn't feel like experimenting too much and embarrassing himself. He found a glass and poured some out. When he turned around Stephanie had gotten herself a can of something. He wasn't entirely sure what since her hand was covering the label.

"Well, since everyone's got a drink I'd like to propose a toast." Jason stuck his bottle in the air. After a moment Tim and Stephanie followed with their cup and can. Damian glared them for a moment before adding his juice pouch.

"I'd like to propose a toast…to being alive!"

They all tapped their drinks together. "To being alive!"


	3. Monster

**Day 3 Prompt: Monster**

 **Goes with the day 2 prompt. This is what Dick was doing while waiting for pizza.**

"No way, dude. I'll accept Batman but the Robins can't be vampires. They grow up! Same with the Batgirls!"

"And you think demons grow up like humans do?"

"Well, I don't know anything about demon biology! Do you?"

The two teenagers were arguing loudly at the bus stop they were waiting at. Even if Dick hadn't wanted to listen in it would have been hard to avoid hearing. It seemed the vampire rumor was making it's rounds again. It had been, what, a year since he had last heard it?

"You both are wrong." The old lady sitting on a bench with her groceries spoke up. "The Batman is a shapeshifter. He takes the form of a man to fight the evil in this city during the night and returns to his bat form during the day when returns to his cave to sleep."

"But isn't that what vampire's do?"

"The Batman most certainly does not drink blood."

"And how do you know that?"

"Both of you are ignoring the Robins and Batgirls! They have to be the same sort of creature as him, otherwise why would they work together? The Robins can't be shapeshifters. They'd turn into birds and Robins aren't nocturnal anyway."

No one on the surrounding street was pretending not to pay attention to the debate. Arguments like this weren't new to anyone in Gotham so it shouldn't have been such a sight. Then again, since the argument had been going since Batman first appeared many years ago everyone had had time to develop an opinion.

"You're both wrong," A man with a brief case yelled. "The Batman is a disaffected member of the Court of Owls who broke off from them in order to-"

"Oh my god! No one believes in those stupid childish urban legends!" Dick winced a bit, telling himself it was a good thing none of these people had any reason to believe the Court of Owls existed. He'd much rather they be a myth.

"That still doesn't account for the kids! Give me a theory that fully accounts for all the Robins and Batgirls then I'll admit you have something!"

"And you think demons account for them?"

"A bunch of demons breaking out of hell at the same time and then helping others break out into the human world at least considers it."

"Why would the demons be fighting crime though? At least a vampire is capable of having a moral compass."

"Or a shapeshifter."

"The Robins are nothing more than child delinquents- "

"You take that back!"

Dick's phone buzzed in his pocket, distracting him from the scene on the street. He pulled it out revealing a text from Tim.

 **T:** _Everyone is here. How long until the pizza is ready?_

Dick glanced back into the pizza place behind him. Still no boxes on the counter for him to come pick up.

 **D:** _Not ready yet. Did you know the vampire rumor is going around again?_

 **T:** _Again? B needs to stop encouraging it._

 **D:** _Also, what do I say to I guy that thinks Batman used to be part of the Court of Owls._

 **T:** _Seriously?_

 **D:** _Yep_

 **T:** _Tell him to stop making things up. Clearly Batman is the ghost of Thomas Wayne returned from the grave out for revenge against the criminals of Gotham city_

 **D:** _Does B know about that theory?_

 **T:** _No. But not for lack of my efforts on the conspiracy theory message boards_

 **D:** _OMG. You're going to be grounded for life_

 **T:** _He'd have to know it's me first_

"Two weeks ago Batman stopped Two-Face's plot at 2:22 in the afternoon when the sun was out. He didn't burn or anything. If he's a vampire how can that be?"

"That's what his cape is for. One the rare occasions the sun actual gets through the clouds it covers his body."

Dick smiled and cupped his hands to his mouth before yelling. "You're all wrong!"

Everyone on the street turned to look at him and Dick continued. "Batman is actually Bruce Wayne. You see…"

"No that's stupid everyone knows Batman is dating Bruce Wayne! He can't be dating himself!"

"Why would a demon be dating billionaire? That makes no sense."

"Well why would a vampire be dating a billionaire?"

"Because he's got tasty blue blood?"

Dick laughed to himself. When Bruce had started keeping a presence on most online conspiracy theorist boards he probably hadn't predicted it would lead to this. Now if anyone, no matter how serious, tried to tell the world Batman's secret identity no one would believe them. After all, Batman was obviously a dark creature of the night.


	4. Zombie

**Day 4 Prompt: Zombie**

"Go home and change."

"What? What's wrong with my outfit?" Jason looked like he did everyday he wasn't punch and/or shooting criminals: leather jacket, plain t-shirt, and jeans. It was a perfectly acceptable outfit in most circumstances.

"The instructions were clear. You were supposed to come dressed as a monster." Bruce sighed.

"I am a monster! I'm a horrible undead zombie!"

"One: You aren't a zombie, you're just undead. Two: _they_ don't know that." They being everyone else at the Martha Wayne Halloween Festival and Fundraiser put on by the Wayne Foundation. People bought tickets to go participate in various games and activates and all proceeds went to various charities. Jason ordinarily would never have been caught near this event but they had been short staffed for the haunted house. Really, he only agreed because the Crime Alley Soup Kitchen was one of the main beneficiaries this year and Jason knew they could use the extra money. Didn't mean he wasn't going to give Bruce grief the whole evening though.

"Is there a difference between undead and zombie? Please explain, oh wise bat."

Bruce twitched and glanced around to make sure no one over heard the bat comment. "Zombies aren't sentient. They are only driven by a need for food."

"Sounds like a teenager. Good thing I just turned twenty. At least, I think I did. Dying messes with aging."

"This is irrelevant. You need a costume." Jason shifted his backpack on his shoulders. It contained enough toilet paper to turn several humans into mummies or cover a small house. Jason wasn't going to tell Bruce this, of course. The man was a detective, he could detect.

So instead he brushed past Bruce and called out after him, "My costume is amazing and you're just jealous!" Now the haunted house was supposed to be on the right side of the fairground…

"Jason." Great. He wasn't going to leave this alone. Jason swung back around to face him.

"Lucius has extra costumes over by the security guards' tent in case you forgot one. And…I'm glad you came. We don't see you nearly enough."

Well, that was unexpected. Jason shrugged. "Whatever, old man." He crossed his arms to show how completely unimpressed he was with Bruce but when he walked away it was with a smile.


	5. Spooky

**Day 5 Prompt: Spooky/Haunted**

Damian did not like the back tunnels of the batcave.

He would never admit such a thing of course, but something about the space was just unsettling. The lights didn't extend this far back so it was in near perpetual blackness. The wind passing through the tunnels created an odd moaning sound. This was where the few actual bats that stuck it out through the human occupation of the cave stayed and they got their waste everywhere.

Thankfully, he almost never had to go back here. They all tended to avoid it for various reasons. But ten minutes ago something had tripped one of the sensors on the air shafts so they needed to investigate it and that meant heading into the back of the tunnels.

"It's probably just an animal. It's happened before, with that raccoon." Damian turns to look up at Dick. He was wearing the batsuit, since Bruce was out of town for an extend Justice League mission and had asked him to fill in. He was carrying a later that was their main source of light. Dick was trying to reassure him. As though he needs reassuring. Just because he doesn't like it back here doesn't mean he's scared.

"That is unlikely, Grayson. The sensors are programmed to only react to large moving shapes."

"It was a very large raccoon."

The sound of the moaning wind echoed through the tunnel they were walking down and Damian most certainly did not shudder. Nor did he start walking closer to Dick. The path was narrowing on either side of them.

"Here." Dick lifted the lantern up to the rock that made up the wall of the tunnel where a small hole had been drilled for the sensor. "It's not low on battery so it can't be a false alarm. Whatever triggered it had to have passed through here." He lowered the lantern towards the ground. A series of footprints became visible. "Well, that's not a raccoon."

Damian stared at the footprints. They were from large boots. It made sense that whoever it was had triggered the alarm but how had they known about the path back here in the first place? Why hadn't whomever it was shown up on any of the security cameras in the occupied part of the cave? If it was a human that would be where they were headed, right?

 _Unless, they were elsewhere in the tunnels, watching, waiting for a chance to pounce on Batman and Robin unawares._

The wind in the tunnels moaned and a bat flapped overhead. Dick grabbed Damian's hand and started to pull him back. "We'll need to go over the footage and search the rest of the cave. Come on." He was acting calm but the tone of his voice gave away how worried he was.

They hurried back to the main area of the batcave. As they reached the edge of the illuminated area Dick pulled batarang out of his utility belt and Damian followed suit. They proceeded slowly into the light. Before they had set out the cave had just been the cave and while the shadows were present and the wind moaned they knew it. Now Damian let his eyes linger on every shadow as he tried to spot the intruder.

There was silence as they edged their way forward silence until- _ting._ The sound had come from the medbay. Dick and Damian slowly and silently approached. They paused right before they turned the corner. Damian turned to Dick and waited for him to give a slight nod. They burst around the corner ready to attack whomever was invading their home-

Dick lowered his batarang. "Jason? What are you doing in here?"

Jason, in full Red Hood attire had been looking through one of the supply draws. Damian knew that drawer and a few scalpels in it. They had likely been what made the noise earlier.

"You've rearranged this place since I was last here. Where are the antibiotics?"

Damian had not lowered his batarang. "Answer his question, Todd."

"I just need some antibiotics then I'll be out your hair. Roy and I are out."

Dick sighed. "You could have in through the front door."

"And risk running into someone? I'll admit I didn't expect you two to come running down here after I showed up. Does B still have those sensors back there? I thought he would have had them removed after the raccoon incident. Paranoid bastard."

"-TT- He's not paranoid. Father's cautious. Besides, he was right. A criminal did try to sneak in."

"Jay," Dick interrupted. "Why do you need antibiotics?"

Jason shrugged "I'm out."

"They're in the top cabinet."

Damian kept a wary eye on Jason as he opened the top cabinet and got out a couple of bottles of antibiotics and pocketed them. "Grayson, you aren't just going to let him take them, are you?"

Dick shook his. "Nope. As punishment for giving us a good scare Jason must promise to only use the front door or windows from now on."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Not promising that." He tried to move past them but Dick and Damian were still standing in the doorway.

"Then, how about you _leave_ through the front door and say hello to Alfred on the way out. He's missed you."

"Fine. I'll do that."

Dick stepped to the side to let Jason pass and nodded to Damian to do the same. After Jason vanished upstairs Dick turned to Damian with a grin. "Well, not only did that end up not being anyone too dangerous but now Alfred has that volunteer he was looking for to do yardwork."


	6. Death

**Day Six Prompt: Death**

"Alfred, hypothetically, if one day I would adopt a child…well what would you do if I decided to adopt a child. Hypothetically."

"Well giving a child a home and a family is a noble endeavor though I'm not certain how this hypothetical situation came up. You were supposed to be at the circus tonight as I recall."

"I…am still at the circus but things…have happened. Hypothetically would it be possibly to set up a bedroom for a child- I'd say about eight or nine years old- quickly."

"Master Bruce what on earth has happened and what have you done?"

"I haven't technically done anything…yet. If I were to, hypothetically, consider adopting a child it would be because I'd want to make sure that child had a home and a place to go. We both know how overwhelmed the Gotham foster care system is."

"Of course."

"But you know I have…other obligations. Could I give a grieving child the care he deserves while still keeping that work up?"

"While the work you provide for the city is valuable there is no reason you cannot take a few nights off a week and spend time with other human beings of any age. You will of course, have to come home in one piece."

"I already do that."

"Mm-hm."

"Hang on one second Alfred- *muffled mumbling*- What? That is a terrible- No, but even I can- Look-

"Alfred the state of social services in this city is even worse than I had previously realized."

"Oh?"

"Alfred, I think I need to go now if I'm going to get this dealt with quickly."

"I'll start setting up this completely hypothetical room."


	7. Happy Halloween!

**Day Seven: Free Day**

Cassandra wasn't sure what the purpose of Halloween was. Barbara had tried to explain it to her last year when she was first introduced to the holiday but Cass had still been learning English and had only half understood. But it had been nice to see all those kids running around door to door and projecting joy and excitement with their bodies so Cass decided she liked the holiday.

She hadn't been able to fully enjoy it last year. She'd been covering her usual patrol route and Robin's as he had been helping Batman to try and track down Scarecrow. This year she had been included in tracking down Scarecrow and stopping him but since they had gotten a head start Scarecrow had been sent back to Arkham on the 30th. No other major crimes had been planned by anyone for the holiday itself as the whole city braced itself for attempting to celebrate and fight off a fear gas attack at the same time so it was looking to be a quiet Halloween. Batman had given both Batgirl and Robin the night off to celebrate while he covered patrol.

This meant Cass needed a costume. She and Barbara were in a costume shop for show last minute shopping. Barbara had made her own witch costume a couple weeks ago but Cass had turned down her offer of making a costume because she thought she'd be chasing Scarecrow across Gotham.

"Honestly," Barbara sighed as she flicked through the costumes on the rack. "Sexy nurse, sexy witch, oh look there's a sexy Batgirl. That's terrible, I hate it. You'd think they'd have at least a few normal costumes. This is why I make my own."

Cass was examining a package that had a picture of a man wearing a hockey mask and holding a chainsaw. She didn't understand how the hockey was scary. The chainsaw, yes, but that could be scary even if you weren't wearing a mask and it didn't seem to come with the costume.

"Could I help you, young lady?" A sales assistant entered the aisle they were in and paused when she saw Barbara having been unable to see her in her chair own the racks. "Er- ladies? Are you finding everything you're looking for?"

Barbara glanced over at Cass, an invitation to speak up if she has anything to say, but she kept quiet. "Well, it would be nice if you had some costumes for teenage girls that are a bit more…covering. Do have some elsewhere in the store?"

"No. This is our complete collection. If you don't mind me saying aren't you cutting it a bit close?"

"We had some plans change."

Cass ignored the conversation going on behind her as she continued going through the costumes on the discount table in front of her. Then suddenly she stopped. Yes, this one. She grabbed it and brought it over to Barbara.

"What is it Cass- oh. Do you like it?" Cass nodded empathetically. "Alright, I guess we've found what we're looking for. I'll need to make a few quick adjustments so it will fit you better but it looks like it's your size." Barbara turned back to the sales assistant. "I believe we've found what we're looking for."

The sales assistant gave a forced smile as her body language showed awkwardness and- Judgey-ness? Was that a word? She'd ask later. It could be hard to remember all the words in spoken language sometimes. Something about Cass's costume choice sparked a reaction in her though.

"Sweetie, that's a boy's costume. As I was telling your friend here we still have a fairly decent collection of girl's costumes…"

Cass frowned. "But I like this one."

"And it's a good costume." Barbara's posture had started to go stiff. She didn't like this woman. She started to wheel her way past the sales assistant to the front of the store. "Come on. Let's go pay."

The sales assistant sighed. "I'm just not sure why you'd want a Batman costume when we have perfectly good Batgirl ones."

"Those Batgirl costumes," Barbara growled. "Are ridiculous."


End file.
